The elephant grins, a race begins, but groundhogs?

Tuesday

May 8, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 8, 2007 at 8:13 AM

The invisible elephant is corporeal at last. Now visible and tangible and stamped with the Sullivan name, it fills the mayoral candidate’s room.

Ever since the election of ought-six, when voters strongly called for change from an agrarian style government, conjecture began over who would answer the call for leadership. Joseph Sullivan was the first name mentioned. Now he’s the fourth to enter the race.

Twenty-one years ago, Sullivan threw himself into a selectman’s race and won, staying for two terms before eyeing the state House of Representatives. He boldly jumped into a primary fight with incumbent Democrat Suzanne Bump, now state Secretary of Labor, scoring a stunning victory, the first of six, before being chosen
John Carlson

Ever since the election of ought-six, when voters strongly called for change from an agrarian style government, conjecture began over who would answer the call for leadership. Joseph Sullivan was the first name mentioned. Now he’s the fourth to enter the race.

Twenty-one years ago, Sullivan threw himself into a selectman’s race and won, staying for two terms before eyeing the state House of Representatives. He boldly jumped into a primary fight with incumbent Democrat Suzanne Bump, now state Secretary of Labor, scoring a stunning victory, the first of six, before being chosen executive director of the state Lottery. He served four years, leaving when State Treasurer Tim Cahill began a second term. Until then, as an appointed officeholder, Sullivan faced restrictions on political moves.

Now, with a formidable war chest of some $113,000, the Braintree High School and UMASS graduate seeks to become the first mayor in his hometown’s history. A steering committee formed to guide the campaign will be headed by a long time friend and high school buddy, former selectman and now Assessor Peter Morin, a strong advocate of government change, and peopled by a variety of present and former town officials.

A Sept. 25 primary will pit at least four current candidates against each another for two spots in November’s showdown.

Topping the contender’s list to face Sullivan is current Selectman Joseph Powers, also a townie and a former town clerk and town moderator who is, thus far, Sullivan’s principal rival. Powers announced his candidacy months ago.

Other declared hopefuls are town meeting members William O’Neill and Brian Muello, both of whom vainly vied for elected town positions in the past. O’Neill, whose campaign has so far been flying under the radar, ran for town clerk and school board spots. Muello, who claims to be “no empty suit,” ran for town clerk and selectman.

November’s election not only decides who will manage town affairs as mayor, but who will populate a new town council. Nine seats will be filled from a list of candidates not yet finalized. It seems likely that Selectmen Chairman Darrin McAuliffe, with members Charles Kokoros and Charles Ryan, the trio calling the shots in recent years, will contend for seats. Newly elected veteran James Casey has said he will run, too. Other hopefuls are climbing onto the track with balloting just eight months away.

This is a critical election. Should we voters pick the wrong people, we’ll blow a chance to haul the town from the wilderness of patronage, nepotism, fiscal ignorance, and a curious reluctance to revamp how our business is done. Simply put, our community’s opportunity for excellence will vanish.

Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray said recently that “budget season reminds me of the movie ‘Groundhog Day’ because it was the same crisis . . . year after year.” As Worcester’s mayor, sans the clout of this town’s future mayor, Murray knows the problems, but he, like a dug-in groundhog, hasn’t seen the light. The Municipal Partnership Act he’s hawking has critical flaws, the biggest being a failure to attack uncontrolled spending. Instead, it preserves it.

The plan is sullied by watery phrases and tax proposals. The carrot is that “someone else” pays the added taxes. The stick is that somebody just passes the cost to us.

Look, our officials can’t resist spending. Cutting costs creates mad employees. They can’t have that. Thus, calls for overrides and dips into the money well. MPA allows towns to approve meal taxes, for example, under a guise of local control, but doesn’t it really mean that the governor escapes blame when folks figure out that they’ve been had again? Thoughts While Shaving: This is a critical time. As voters gaze toward the future and look beyond the present, doors are left wide open for political shenanigans. Historically, it’s been a time for “fast-ones” like buddy-boy hires, excessive pay hikes doled out as pay-offs, contracts slipped to favored companies, and other devious schemes plotted behind the curtains of disinterest.

This town’s honest brokers must keep a sharp eye out and a sharp tongue ready to lacerate would-be misbehavior and those who attempt it. Transitional times, such as these, are fraught with perils at every government level, producing tales of retirement padding and positioning for profit. So if you see it, say it. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty and of democracy.